Mike Ditka, the quintessential Chicago Bear, dies at 86

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Mike Ditka, who won NFL titles as a player and coach with the Chicago Bears, has died. He was 86.

Ditka’s family announced the death on Friday in a statement.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” the family said. “While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”

Nicknamed “Iron Mike” as a player, Ditka helped revolutionize the tight-end position, then moved to the sidelines and took over as Chicago’s coach. His 1985 team featured one of the game’s most dominant defenses ever. It also had enough outsized personalities to record a rap video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” and back up their boasting in the championship game three months later.

After retiring as a coach, Ditka became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality, as well as a forceful advocate for improved medical and retirement benefits for former players.

Ditka was tough and gruff, the quintessential Chicago Bear. He did everything from order off the menu to knock defensive backs on their butts with a growl. His adopted hometown reveled in every minute.

Still revered as “Da Coach” and ringmaster of the 1985 Bears, one of the most dominant and perhaps the zaniest Super Bowl-winning team in league history. Ditka was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the Bears said during a ceremony in 2013 that his “No. 89” jersey will be the last one retired by the team.

He was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the son of a welder who changed the family name from Dyczko. He grew up in nearby Aliquippa, close to the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing plants that dotted the western part of the state, a big, talented, three-sport athlete and All-American at Pitt whose bruising style made his first nickname, “Iron Mike,” a good fit.

Selected fifth overall by flinty Chicago owner George Halas in the 1961 draft, Ditka went on to Rookie of the Year honors, multiple Pro Bowl trips and the 1963 NFL Championship. In the bargain, he and Baltimore’s John Mackey changed the tight end position and offensive schemes forever. He was a battering ram of a blocker, but Ditka was just as likely to catch a short pass and pinball through an entire secondary or outrace a lone safety on a deep touchdown throw.

He left Chicago in 1966, playing briefly for Philadelphia and Dallas. He moved to the sideline in 1973 as an assistant to the revered Tom Landry and stayed with the Cowboys for eight seasons, before returning to a hero’s welcome in Chicago as head coach in 1982.

Ditka’s return to the Bears lasted 10 tumultuous years, including five straight NFC Central titles, the Super Bowl win, a DUI conviction, a heart attack, a long-running feud with defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and, finally, a new nickname – “Da Coach.”

To Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, the seeds of what was to come were planted in Ditka’s first meeting with the team. He laid out his vision, saying Chicago would be in the Super Bowl in three years – and many of the players in the room would not be around for it.

“When I first heard him when he walked in the room, to me Coach Ditka had the opportunity to be the greatest coach of all time because he had the fire,” Singletary said at the Bears’ 100th anniversary celebration in June 2019. “I don’t know George Halas coached. But I can imagine that the fire and intensity and passion that Coach Ditka exuded that first day set the tone for exactly what he said: ‘Three years from now, we’re going to be in the Super Bowl.’ And that was 1982. In ’85, we were there and it was because of that vision.”

The public beefs with Ryan mirrored the behind-the-scenes battles that Ditka waged trying to contain a team bristling with outsized personalities.

“It was more than a team,” Ditka once said. “It was a team of characters that had character that played for a crazy man, who let him be crazy and had fun doing it and don’t apologize for it ever. I wouldn’t want to be one of these suits walking around on the sideline today.

“I have no desire to be that. I was what I was and they were what they were and, damn, it was fun.”

It wasn’t until two dozen players recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” – an audacious rap-styled video released three months ahead of the 1986 title game – that the rest of the football world wondered whether Ditka was losing his grip.

His players never did.

“We call him ‘Sybil’ after that girl in the movie,” quarterback Jim McMahon once explained. “You know, the one that had all those personalities. Mike will be calm one minute, then throw a clipboard the next. People don’t understand that, but we do.”

The Bears demolished the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl, but Ditka often said he regretted having McMahon and defensive tackle William “The Refrigerator” Perry run for touchdowns instead of Walter Payton, Chicago’s loyal and long-suffering running back.

Ryan departed for a head coaching job in Philadelphia soon after. While the Bears continued to be a contender for most of the next five years, a 5-11 season prompted Ditka’s departure in 1992.

After a five-year absence, he returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints, but failed to revive the franchise. After a miserable 1999 season ended with a 3-13 record – Ditka’s worst as either a player or coach – he left the sidelines for good.

His face and demeanor were so familiar by then that a second act became an easy segue. Ditka began building a stable of restaurants and appeared as himself in TV sitcoms from “Cheers” to “Third Rock from the Sun,” as well as shows such as “L.A. Law” and “Saturday Night Live.”

He also stayed close to the game as an NFL analyst and game-day show personality at ESPN. Ditka’s high-profile status also made him an effective advocate to secure improved health and retirement benefits for former players.

His name also circulated for years in Illinois political circles. Though he never ran for office, Ditka described himself as a staunch conservative and was mentioned several times as a possible Republican candidate, including a congressional race against then state Rep. Barack Obama for the US Senate.

Manny Rubio/US Presswire/Imagn Images/路透社

曾作为球员和教练随芝加哥熊队赢得NFL总冠军的迈克·迪特卡去世，享年86岁。

迪特卡的家人周五发表声明宣布了他的死讯。

“我们怀着无比悲痛的心情宣布，我们挚爱的丈夫、父亲、祖父和朋友迈克·迪特卡去世了，”家人说道。“世人皆知迈克是名人堂橄榄球运动员、传奇教练，以及带领芝加哥熊队赢得第二十届超级碗冠军的功臣，而我们则视他为家庭的核心。我们将永远怀念迈克，并将他铭记于心。”

绰号“铁人迈克”的迪特卡球员时代就帮助球队革新了近端锋的位置，之后他转战教练席，执教芝加哥熊队。他执教的1985年芝加哥熊队拥有史上最强防守之一。这支球队也涌现出不少个性张扬的球员，他们甚至录制了一首说唱歌曲《超级碗舞步》，并在三个月后的总决赛中用实际行动证明了自己的实力。

从教练岗位退休后，迪特卡成为了一名餐馆老板、推销员和电视名人，同时也是一位积极倡导改善退役球员医疗和退休福利的倡导者。

迪特卡强悍而粗犷，是典型的芝加哥熊队球员。他无所不能，从点餐到用一声咆哮把防守后卫撞倒在地，样样都行。他所效力的这座城市为他的每一刻都感到无比自豪。

他至今仍被尊称为“教练”，是1985年芝加哥熊队的灵魂人物，这支球队是联盟历史上最具统治力、或许也是最古怪的超级碗冠军球队之一。迪特卡入选了大学橄榄球名人堂和职业橄榄球名人堂。2013年，熊队在一次仪式上宣布，他的89号球衣将是球队退役的最后一个号码。

他出生于宾夕法尼亚州的卡内基，父亲是一名焊工，将家族姓氏从迪奇科改为卡内基。他在附近的阿利奎帕长大，那里靠近遍布宾夕法尼亚州西部的煤矿和钢铁厂。他身材高大，天赋异禀，是一名三项全能运动员，在匹兹堡大学时曾入选全美最佳阵容。他强悍的球风使他的第一个绰号“铁人迈克”名副其实。

迪特卡在1961年选秀大会上被铁腕芝加哥老板乔治·哈拉斯以第五顺位选中，随后荣膺年度最佳新秀，多次入选职业碗，并随队夺得1963年NFL总冠军。更重要的是，他和巴尔的摩的约翰·麦基彻底改变了近端锋的位置和进攻体系。迪特卡是一位势不可挡的阻挡者，但他同样能够接住短传，像弹球一样突破对方的整条防线，或者在长传达阵中甩开孤身一人的安全卫。

他于 1966 年离开芝加哥，短暂效力于费城和达拉斯。1973 年，他转战教练席，担任备受尊敬的汤姆·兰德里的助理教练，并在牛仔队效力了八个赛季，之后于 1982 年以主教练的身份重返芝加哥，受到了英雄般的欢迎。

迪特卡重返熊队后，经历了动荡的 10 年，其中包括连续五次获得 NFC 中区冠军、赢得超级碗、酒后驾车被定罪、心脏病发作、与防守协调员巴迪·瑞安的长期不和，以及最终获得的新绰号——“大教练”。

在名人堂线卫迈克·辛格尔特里看来，迪特卡与球队的第一次会面就埋下了未来辉煌的种子。他阐述了自己的愿景，预言芝加哥将在三年内打进超级碗——而当时在场的许多球员恐怕都无法亲眼见证这一刻了。

“当迪特卡教练走进房间时，我第一次听到他的声音，在我看来，他有潜力成为史上最伟大的教练，因为他充满激情，”辛格尔特里在2019年6月熊队百年庆典上说道。“我不了解乔治·哈拉斯的执教经历。但我可以想象，迪特卡教练第一天展现出的激情、专注和热情，为他后来所说的‘三年后，我们将打进超级碗’奠定了基调。那是1982年。到了1985年，我们真的打进了超级碗，这都归功于他的远见卓识。”

迪特卡与瑞安的公开争执，反映了他在幕后为控制一支充满个性鲜明球员的队伍而进行的斗争。

“这不仅仅是一支球队，”迪特卡曾说过，“这是一支由个性鲜明的人物组成的球队，他们为一个疯子效力，任由他疯狂，并乐在其中，而且从不为此道歉。我可不想成为今天那些在场边走来走去的西装革履的人。”

“我不想成为那样的人。我就是那样的人，他们就是那样的人，而且，该死，那段日子真有趣。”

直到二十多名球员录制了《超级碗舞曲》（一段大胆的说唱风格视频，在 1986 年冠军赛前三个月发布）之后，足球界的其他人才开始怀疑迪特卡是否失去了对球队的控制。

他的球员们从未做到过。

“我们叫他‘西比尔’，就像电影里那个女孩一样，”四分卫吉姆·麦克马洪曾经解释说。“你知道，就是那个性格很复杂的女孩。迈克前一秒还很冷静，下一秒就可能把战术板扔出去。别人不理解，但我们懂。”

芝加哥熊队在超级碗中以 46-10 击败了新英格兰爱国者队，但迪特卡经常说，他后悔让麦克马洪和防守截锋威廉“冰箱”佩里跑出达阵，而不是让芝加哥忠诚且长期受苦的跑卫沃尔特·佩顿上场。

瑞恩不久后便前往费城担任主教练。虽然熊队在接下来的五年里大部分时间都保持着竞争力，但1992年5胜11负的战绩促使迪特卡下课。

阔别五年后，他重返教练岗位，执教新奥尔良圣徒队，但未能扭转球队颓势。1999赛季以3胜13负的惨淡战绩收官——这是迪特卡作为球员或教练的最差战绩——之后，他彻底告别了教练席。

那时他的面容和举止已经非常为人熟知，所以第二幕的出现也顺理成章。迪特卡开始建立起自己的餐饮帝国，并在从《欢乐酒店》到《外星人报道》等电视情景喜剧中本色出演，还参与了《洛城法网》和《周六夜现场》等节目的录制。

他还担任ESPN的NFL分析师和比赛日节目主持人，与这项运动保持着密切联系。迪特卡的高知名度也使他成为争取改善退役球员健康和退休福利的有效倡导者。

他的名字多年来也一直在伊利诺伊州政界流传。虽然他从未竞选过公职，但迪特卡自称是坚定的保守派，并多次被提及为可能的共和党候选人，包括与当时的州众议员巴拉克·奥巴马竞选美国参议员。